Nearly two centuries ago, Burkhardt Moser cleared a plot of virgin land for a home near the confluence of the crystal-clear Little Schuylkill River and Panther Creek.

Nestled in a forest and surrounded by rolling hillsides containing wild game, the log cabin was the first house in what later became Tamaqua.

The cabin was the site of the borough's first birth, death and other events. And amazingly, it withstood severe elements such as flooding rains and blizzards along with the bulldozer of developers for 198 years.

"It is the oldest building in the Tamaqua and Panther Valley areas," said Dale Freudenberger, president of the Tamaqua Historical Society.

Now the historical society is working to make sure the home, one of the few original homes still standing in any local community, lasts longer for future generations to see.

The society has started on the second part of its preservation project, costing about $4,500.

Two weeks ago, contractors started removing clapboard siding from the east and west sides of the building at the second-floor peaks. They'll replace the siding with rough-cut vertical planking.

All the windows and doors are being repaired or rebuilt as needed.

The siding on the west side, facing Greenwood Street, is being replaced with rough-cut red cedar siding.

The front door, which in later years had a large glass plate, is being replaced with an original-style wood plank door, and the trim will be painted in a colonial-style red.

In fall, the historical society will rebuild a retaining wall and replace a wood front porch and a wood stairway leading to the home.

Inside work, such as repairs to the plaster and painting, is being done by volunteers.

"We're gradually furnishing it with period-style furnishings as we get donations," Freudenberger said.

The society already has pumped some money into the old log cabin. Last year, it spent $3,800 to replace the roof with a colonial-style, hand-split cedar shake roof and build a new stone chimney.

In 1995, the society took a $50,000 low-interest loan from the borough's downtown revitalization fund to buy the cabin and a house in front of it. That money also will be used for restoration of the cabin, which tells a lot of the area's history.

Moser and his family, using a 6,000-acre grant from William Penn, moved to Tamaqua from Lynn Township and built a sawmill in 1799. Once the mill was established, Moser, who was of Swiss and German descent, built the home.

Tamaqua's first birth, that of Moser's son, Jacob, took place at the house. The first death, that of Moser's wife, Catherine, also occurred there.

The cabin also served as Tamaqua's first schoolhouse after other homes were built nearby. It served as the town's first tavern, hotel and stage coach stop and was the site of the first church service.

"There was a traveling minister that would ride through the region on horseback," Freudenberger said.

Neighboring Coaldale has its roots in the home. Moser's youngest son, John, became the founder of Coaldale.

Moser also has ties with the coal industry's beginnings.

He was the first to discover coal in Tamaqua, finding the black diamonds when he was excavating for a second building. Moser knew about coal from hearing about its discovery in nearby Summit Hill.

"He put it in burlap bags, hauled it over the Blue Mountain and sold it for 10 cents a bushel in the Lehigh Valley," Freudenberger said.

The log cabin remained basically unchanged until the late 1870s when the western part of the home was cut away to make room for larger homes on what is now Broad Street. But Moser's family, the Nahfs, continued to maintain the home.

"They pretty much kept up with it," Freudenberger said. "If it weren't for them, it would have been gone."

Someone lived in the home until the early 1980s, about the time the Nahf family sold the property. The property changed hands several times, alarming the historical society and prompting the group to buy the home from the Troutman family.

Now, it's open on special days in Tamaqua, such as the annual Summerfest on June 21, or for special tours with groups such as local Boy Scout troops.